Lawton was not in the lineup for the game against the Indians, but he was relieved to be eligible to play again.

"I'm glad to be back in there," he said, sitting at his locker. "It's been a little bit tough not being able to play in the games. But it wasn't as bad as I thought. I felt like the time went by pretty fast."

During his suspension, Lawton, who signed a one-year free agent deal with Seattle in December, was allowed to take batting practice and be in Seattle's clubhouse. However, he had to leave when the game began.

Lawton was suspended on Nov. 2, 2005, for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Because he tested positive under baseball's former program, Lawton had to miss the first 10 days of this season.

Under the new, tougher rules, a positive test would have meant a 50-game suspension.

This spring, he batted .367 with eight doubles and eight RBI in 49 at-bats.

The Mariners were one of the few teams willing to take a chance on the 34-year-old, who played for Pittsburgh, the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees last season. Seattle signed him to a one-year, $400,000 deal with a limited no-trade clause.

Lawton batted a combined .254 last season with 13 homers and 53 RBI in 141 games.

To make room for Lawton, the Mariners designated catcher Guillermo Quiroz for assignment. They also optioned right-hander Jeff Harris to Triple-A Tacoma and recalled catcher Rene Rivera from Tacoma.

D-Rays disable Huff

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay placed third baseman Aubrey Huff on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a left knee sprain.

Huff could be sidelined four to six weeks after he bumped into shortstop Nick Green near the bullpen while chasing a foul popup Tuesday night. Huff's leg appeared to land in an awkward position before he fell to the ground. He was able to walk off the field.

Huff is the third member of Tampa Bay's starting infield to be hurt this season.

Shortstop Julio Lugo is on the disabled list with an abdominal strain and is expected to be out until at least Apr. 19.

Second baseman Jorge Cantu was out of the lineup for the fifth straight game Wednesday with a bruised left foot. He could be used as a reserve and might be ready to start Thursday.

Rangers put Kinsler on DL, activate Matthews Jr.

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Texas Rangers placed rookie second baseman Ian Kinsler on the 15-day disabled list because of a dislocated left thumb and activated outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. from the 15-day DL.

Kinsler was injured while getting thrown out trying to steal second base in the second inning of Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. He had 10 hits in his first 22 at-bats.

Matthews was sidelined because of a strained rib cage muscle, which occurred when he was driving his car in late February and tried to keep himself from sneezing. It was the third time he was on the DL in his big league career. Matthews batted .255 with 17 home runs and 55 RBI in 131 games last season.

Infielder Marshall McDougall, who was on the DL because of an injured left wrist, was activated on Tuesday and optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma.

The move leaves the Diamondbacks with no lefties on their pitching staff.

Mulholland has inflammation in his left elbow. The 43-year-old hurler had appeared in four of Arizona's first seven games, allowing two runs on six hits in six innings. He gave up a run in 1 2-3 innings in Tuesday night's 6-5 loss to Colorado in the Diamondbacks' home opener.

Daigle, whose minor league contract was purchased by Arizona to make the move, began the 2004 season as part of the Diamondbacks' rotation but struggled to a 2-3 record and a 7.16 ERA before being sent to Tucson.

Last year, he converted to a closer and was 9-3 with 19 saves and a 2.67 ERA for Double-A Tennessee. Daigle is married to U.S. softball star Jennie Finch.

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